A Second Chance, A New Reality
by lonesorceress2209
Summary: Four young women are killed in a car accident in 2009. They accept an unknown, unseen being's offer of life in another reality. The reality chosen? That of Star Trek:TOS. No slash!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first Star Trek fic. Also I haven't exactly seen all of the episodes for TOS, so bear with me if some of my facts are wrong. Of course, I do not own Star Trek or any of it's characters. The only things I do own are the plot for this story and the four characters I have created to be thrown into that futuristic world we all know and love that makes up Star Trek. Oh yeah, character thoughts are in italics and the thoughts of the Unseen are in bold. Enjoy!**

2009

They lay there, in their sleeping bags, sprawled over the grass, which was damp with dew. All four of their faces were turned to the night sky staring at the pinpricks of light that were the stars. "Look, Kat. There's Orion and there's the big dipper and…" Kat sighed, cutting her friend off. "Yeah, I see them, Ree, but I didn't come camping tonight to look at constellations. When is this meteor shower supposed to start?"

"Technically," Aurelia began, "a meteor shower doesn't just start in our sky. The pieces of the meteor that fall through our atmosphere have been travelling through space for years before reaching Earth."

"Thank you Dr. Aurelia Hensen, for that wonderful piece of useless knowledge." Kat sighed again. She was bored out of her mind. She didn't find any interest in the stars or meteor showers. Her interest lay beyond those pinpricks of light, those tiny spheres of burning gas. She wanted to know what was beyond this galaxy, if there really was other life out there. She just couldn't accept the fact that Earth was the only planet on which life could be sustained. Kat crawled out of her sleeping bag and almost immediately wished she hadn't as the cool night air began to seep through her pajamas.

Grabbing her coat and one of the extra blankets they brought, she went to sit next to the fire. She had only been there for a moment before the others came to join her.

"Are you okay?" Kat looked up at Emily, whose perfect jet black hair was pulled back into a tight and neat bun as usual. Em could always tell when something was bothering any of the other three women and usually tried to help as best she could. They were all in college together. Kat was majoring in law with a minor in psychology, and aspired to be a government official and maybe president one day. The minor in psychology was just in case her political career failed her. Emily was a med student, striving to be a surgeon. Reena was working on her masters in both technology and engineering. She was always tinkering around with the electronics in the dorm, much to the displeasure of the dean. And then there was Aurelia, resident genius. She was about to finish up a double major in physiology and geology and a double minor in linguistics and archeology. She hoped that she could work for the government.

There were only two factors that made these four women friends. One was that they all were fans of Star Trek and the second that they all were orphans. Not one of them had any surviving family, so when they first met, they kind of created their own family among the four of them.

"Kat, is it about Josh?" Reena's question brought her out of her reverie. She looked at her mechanically inclined friend, noticing her lengthy, chocolate brown hair was actually down for a change. "You should wear your hair like that more often, Ree. It looks nice that way."

"Couldn't wear it like this in the lab. Too much machinery to get it caught in. I'd be bald in no time." Everyone except Aurelia laughed at Reena's response.

"Might I point out that changing the subject for the sake of taking the attention off yourself, Katherine, does not help us with understanding why you are upset? And without the reasons for your sadness, we cannot possibly hope to deduce a means of making you happy again." Aurelia looked quite astonished to see that her friends were staring at her as if they were looking at an alien. "Are you sure you're not at least part Vulcan there, Lia? Cuz you sound so much like Spock sometimes that I think we are gonna have to call you Spockette," Emily said, breaking the awkward silence that had ensued after the genius's question. Everyone laughed again, and it was a while before it stopped. Another blanket of silence fell over the women as each stared into the flickering flames of the fire and let their minds wander through different thoughts. Kat was thinking about Josh, her fiancé, and after a few moments, she sighed again. _Ex fiancé_, she reminded herself. "Josh broke off the engagement," she said to the fire, not wanting to see the looks of bewilderment she knew were being passed between themselves. "Why would he do that?" Emily's question was quiet, as though she were afraid that someone were listening to their conversation. "He met someone else. Someone who isn't career driven like I am. He said he couldn't commit to a woman who had committed her life to her career. He said he would be better off marrying a statue." Angry tears were forming in her eyes, but she forced them back with sheer determination etched on her face. Her hands clenched into fists, and she stood up and began pacing. The others knew what was about to happen, and were glad they were camping, as there was nothing breakable around for her to throw in a fit of rage.

"Stupid, arrogant, womanizing, egotistic, chauvinistic, pig-headed, lying asshole!" Kat yelled all of this in one breath to the chilly night. She tripped over a rock in her pacing, and being already angry at her ex fiancé, and now at herself for stubbing her toes into the rock, picked it up and promptly threw it into the trees. A branch lying nearby followed, and then another rock and she continued to throw various bits of nature at the trees until she finally collapsed onto her knees, exhausted and in tears. The others watched her emotional display, but having seen it happen a thousand times since they had met, they didn't stop her. It was best to let her have it out, though it was not easy for them to watch.

Kat was something of a leader to them. She had the strongest will of the four of them, and possessed a temperament that gave her the qualities required of a leader. She would be a wonderful politician if it weren't for her temper. It was often a joke among the girls that she would be more fit and at home as a high ranking officer in the military rather than in a government office.

"Kat," Emily started, rising from her seat, grabbing her bag, and walking over to her red headed, teary eyed friend. "I have something to make you feel better."

"What is it?" She wiped the tears from her face roughly with a dirt encrusted hand, leaving streaks of earth where the streams of her tears had been. Emily helped her friend to her feet and then rummaged around in her bag for a moment before extracting a portable DVD player and a DVD set of Star Trek. Kat brightened up at the sight, "Aww…Em, you sure do know how to treat a distressed friend. There's nothing that can cure heartache quicker than a whole night with Captain James Tiberius Kirk. William Shatner was so gorgeous when he was younger."

"I thought you might like that. I always come prepared," she pulled out a bag of potato chips and box of cookies as well. "Besides, it looks like we won't be getting to see that meteor shower after all. Clouds are moving in. Guess that storm is gonna hit sooner than the weather said."

"Who cares," Reena exclaimed which was shocking as she was the one who had dragged them all out there in the first place. "What? I just want to see Scotty. He's my hero," she defended when everyone just stared at her.

"It is immensely fascinating at how one's mind can change at the drop of a hat." Leave it to Aurelia to make a Spock-like comment just before watching Star Trek.

They pulled everything inside the tent and settled in for a full night of watching videos. Just as they started their third episode, the aforementioned storm broke upon them and the increasing wind whipped against the sides of their tent. Lightning flashed in the sky and the roll of thunder followed immediately.

"Guys, I think we should pack it up and head back to campus." Emily's voice quivered slightly as she said this, but it was common knowledge that she was terrified of storms.

Fifteen minutes later, everything was loaded up into Kat's SUV and the four soaking wet girls left the campground without hesitation. Aurelia was driving, as Kat didn't feel like her being behind the wheel would be ideal in her state. She was still thinking about Josh. She let her mind wander on the subject as she looked out of the window in the backseat. The rain was falling harder now, so hard it was blinding, as they drove down the highway. Lightning still continued to flash at various intervals and the booming thunder that always followed made Emily jump every time it occurred. "Its okay, Em," Kat said in a soothing voice. "We'll be back on campus in no time." Emily responded with a nervous smile, and tried not to jump out of her skin as the thunder boomed again.

It happened in a flash, seconds after Kat's comment, a car came flying from one of the side roads and slammed into the side of the SUV, pushing it into the lane of oncoming traffic and into the path of an 18-wheeler, who could not stop in time to avoid hitting the vehicle. Another flash of bright light and the girls fell out of consciousness; the puddles of water surrounding the overturned SUV were colored red from the blood that seeped from their unmoving, lifeless bodies.

Kat opened her eyes to sunlight filtering into the tent. She sat up in her sleeping bag and took in her surroundings. Aurelia, Emily and Reena were still asleep. Kat stood and carefully made her way to the tent's exit, quietly unzipping the entrance so as not to wake anyone. She wanted time to herself to sit and think about the dream she just had. _More like a nightmare really,_ she thought. _I died, we all died. _She had a problem believing that it was actually just a dream. _It seemed so real._

**That is because it was real, my child. **Kat whirled around; looking behind her for the owner of the voice but no one was there. **You cannot see us, nor will you ever see us. We have no substance, only thought and voice. **

"Who are you?"

**You may call us the Unseen, child.**

"I'm twenty-five years old, I'm not a child."

**To us, you are a child. We have lived for centuries. We live across all times and realities, therefore we are the keepers of all times and realities.**

"Realities? Do you mean to tell me that there are alternate realities?"

**Yes, child. There are alternate realities and alternate universes. Ones just like the one in which you lived and in that reality you survived that accident which took your life in your own reality. But there are also other realities in which you must play a part but have not yet. **

"I don't understand."

**Perhaps we should wake your friends before discussing this further.**

Kat made to move back to the tent, but before she could go anywhere, Aurelia came out of it. Reena came next, then Emily. All three of them looked just as confused as Kat had felt upon first waking up. _No doubt confused about the nightmare of dying, which turns out wasn't really a nightmare._

**Welcome, children to your mid reality. **

"Kat, what is going on?" Emily looked like she was terrified. "I just remember having a horrible dream, in which we all died in a car wreck. And now I wake up to some disembodied voice calling me a child."

"Just listen to what she has to say, guys. It's kinda hard to explain right now, but we are in between realities from what I gather. We did die in our old reality and now these beings who call themselves the Unseen want us to go to a new reality. They say we must be present in that reality. I'm still kinda confused on that subject."

**The reality you must enter will be both familiar, yet unfamiliar to you all. You already know some of the inhabitants, but though you will recognize them, they will not know you as in your reality, they did not know you. **

"What is the basis of this reality? How is it we know some of the people in it already if we haven't been there?" Aurelia was always full of useful questions.

**You have seen it and some of the happenings that we allowed you to see through a television program called Star Trek. You of course know to what I am referring. And I daresay you also know the people to whom I referred earlier that you will recognize. You must remember that though they are the same, they are also different. **

"What if we decide not to go?"

**We will not force you. It is entirely your choice. However, I must caution that if you do not choose to enter this new reality, then your lives will be at an end forever. You will be doomed to travel the planet you perished on for all eternity as a spirit.**

"So basically what you are telling us is that we died in our reality so in order to still live we have to enter a new reality?"

**That is correct, Katherine. Of course, we also give you the choice of choosing the species you wish to enter as. And we will give you the knowledge and abilities needed to be successful and survive in that reality. But we need your decision soon, as we can only keep you here in the mid reality for a few moments longer.**

"What do you guys think? Do you wanna die and wander the earth forever or do you wanna go join Starfleet?" When it comes down to making a decision, Kat takes on the leadership role and puts the choice into words to make the others choose the right one without thinking twice. With her it's either doom or survival, and right now they all wanted to survive. Each one of her friends nodded their assent.

"We will go to the new reality."

**Very well. Close your eyes, all of you and receive the information you will need. **

Kat closed her eyes and at once she felt a rush of information flashing across her mind. When the rush was over, she had a slight headache.

**Now think of the species you wish to enter as, and it will be so.**

All of them chose human, except Aurelia that is, who chose to be Vulcan.

**Aurelia, child, you do realize that this choice will leave you practically devoid of emotion and ruled by logic, correct?**

"Yes, that is completely understood. I was never one for emotions anyway."

**Very well. It is done. You will all enter the reality in a moment, for there is only one more piece of advice I must give you. You will enter upon the starship Enterprise. Everything about your lives in that reality is falsified. You all have the new memories for this reality as well as the old memories from the old reality. You must not reveal to anyone that you are from a different reality. The consequences would be unbearable.**

"You have our word. We will not reveal where we truly come from."

**I see. Good luck, children. I hope to see you again, but not anytime soon.**

A burst of white light flashed from nowhere and the four girls were rendered unconscious again.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay, I know it's been a while, but here is the next chapter. It's not as great as I was hoping it would be, but then again first encounters are always a little shaky. So read and review please! I would like to thank celestia101 for adding this fic to story alerts and spittlebug for adding it to favorite stories.

The buzzing and whirring of machines filled Kat's ears as she awoke. She was met by bright fluorescent lights that hurt her eyes upon first opening them.

"Doctor, one of the patients is awake." A female voice that Kat recognized but couldn't quite place in her state said to a male figure who had his back turned to them.

"Thank you, Chapel. Why don't you go down to the mess hall and take a break. You've been here for two days now non stop." Now _that_ voice was really familiar.

"Well, sir, it's just that I've never seen or met a female Vulcan before or a Betazoid for that matter." Kat sat up in her bed, trying to get a closer look at the two, trying to put faces with the familiar voices, but was suddenly overwhelmed by a sudden sense of excitement. She was not the one excited, however. The feeling came from outside herself and she couldn't quite understand what was happening, but she knew, someone, somewhere, in the vicinity she was in was ecstatic. Someone in the structure was happy about something, but she didn't know who or what and that was bothering her. Just as quickly as it came, the feeling subsided. What made matters worse was that she didn't know what was going on with her. When she had spoken to the Unseen, she had requested to be human. _Or did I think humanoid? Dammit, I can't remember. What did that being turn me into? What am I?_

Kat watched as Nurse Chapel left the sickbay, apparently being satisfied with knowing that she would see plenty of the newcomers later and when they were actually awake. _Damn. That Chapel is going to wear herself down if she keeps staying in this sickbay all the time like she has been._

"I don't know, Doctor, she seemed to be in perfect health to me." The doctor jumped at the sound of Kat's voice and finally turned to face his patient. Her jaw dropped open as she finally realized who had been speaking. "I forgot that Betazoids could hear others' thoughts," he said as he walked over to her bed. "I'm Doctor…"

"Leonard McCoy," Kat finished for him. He smiled at her, "It's nice to know my reputation precedes me. What's your name?"

"Lieutenant Katherine Hart."

"Well, Lieutenant Hart, welcome aboard the Enterprise. Am I correct in stating that you and your comrades are the new recruits that the captain has been awaiting for the past two weeks?" Kat was slightly confused for a moment. The Unseen had said they would enter this reality on the Enterprise and that they would have all the knowledge they needed to perform their respective duties on it, but she wasn't sure why they were in sickbay.

"Yes, Doctor. May I ask why we are in sickbay?"

"Your transport ship was attacked on the way to the rendezvous point. We received a transmission that you were in trouble and we rescued you. Although, we still don't know who or what attacked your ship. Whatever it was, is no friend to the Federation." Kat actually looked at him for the first time since she had realized who he was and noticed significant differences in his features than the McCoy she knew. He was younger, more handsome, and just downright more southern all around. You could tell he was from the southern regions of America. His voice had more of a drawl to it now more than ever. But she disregarded all of this as the questions about herself came over her again. Why was she a betazoid? Didn't she choose to be human? A voice sounded faintly in her head. **You chose humanoid, my child. This form will serve you well for your position in this world and to communicate with my kind in times of need. We will not be in contact always. Rather we will contact you when you need us most. Brace your new race, child. They are a civil and sophisticated people. **

"Lieutenant?" McCoy was looking at her like she was covered in mud.

"I'm sorry, doctor, what did you say?"

"I asked if you would like to report to the captain for duty or would you prefer to wait until your friends wake up?"

"I'd rather wait, thank you, doctor."

"Please, call me Bones." He smiled at her, and turned to tend to her friends.

She ended up waiting about five minutes for the others to wake up. All of them were slightly disoriented and confused at first, but after getting the explanation as to how they got to where they were from Bones and piecing it all together with what happened with the Unseen, they finally accepted their new lives and were ready to report for duty.

"I'll contact the captain then, shall I?" The good doctor was looking at Kat, as he deduced she was the leader of this group.

"Yes, thank you again, Bones. For everything." He waved off her gratitude and turned to his office. Once he was gone, the other girls turned to bombard her with questions. But Aurelia beat anyone else to the punch.

"Kat, what happened to your eyes? Why are they black?"

"Isn't it obvious to that Vulcan brain of yours?" When Aurelia just frowned at her, she sighed. "I've been turned into a Betazoid. Apparently when we were choosing species, I just thought humanoid and the Unseen turned me into this to better help me with my position aboard the Enterprise. I'm still not sure what that is but hey at least I can hear people's thoughts and sense emotions. Of course, it's always hard to sense the emotions in Vulcans, so you and Spock are safe, Lia." Everyone except Aurelia laughed at this, but the others just drew that down to her Vulcan ways.

Meanwhile…In Bones' office…

"Captain, I think you'll like these new recruits."

"I highly doubt that, Bones. They sent me another Vulcan scientist to assist Spock, another med officer to help you, another engineer to assist Scotty, and a freaking betazoid to be a counselor on the ship. You do realize that betazoids are telepaths, don't you?"

"Believe me, I know, Jim. But I think you are gonna like these recruits better than you think."

"And why is that, Doc?"

"Why don't you come down to sickbay and see for yourself, or should I bring them up to you on the bridge?"

"Go ahead and bring them up here, Bones. Not much going on up here anyway, might as well introduce them to the bridge crew, since that's where they will be working most of the time. Kirk out."

Bones exited his office and stepped back into his sickbay.

"The captain has asked me to escort you to the bridge. Apparently he wants to introduce you to the bridge crew as you all will be spending ample time on the bridge assisting your senior officers." The girls followed him out of the sickbay and to the turbolift.

"Mr. Spock."

"Yes, Captain?"

"What do you think these new recruits will be like?"

"That is difficult to deduce, sir. I expect the Lieutenant Commander Hensen to be similar to myself, being a Vulcan. As for the others it is hard to say. I would expect them all to be knowledgeable about their specific assignments, and extremely capable to carry out the duties assigned to them."

"Thank you, Mr. Spock, for that useless bit of logic. That didn't help at all. Scotty, what do you think?"

"I just hope tha' this new engineer is as good as Starfleet has made 'im out to be. I cannae work with a man who isn't as knowledgeable about engines as meself."

"I'm more worried about this betazoid. He'd be able to hear all of our thoughts and sense all of our emotions. And he'll be present on the bridge whenever I'm here. It's like I'll have a little puppy following me around who can hear everything I'm thinking and sense my every feeling."

"It is quite discomforting, Captain."

"Thank you, Mr. Spock."

"Bones, I'm sensing slight discomfort in the captain. It's as though he doesn't really want us here."

"Well that's just because he hasn't met you yet, darlin'. He thinks y'all are men for one thing. For some reason Starfleet didn't mention you were women and as it was only myself, Nurse Chapel and a small security team who beamed onto your transport, no one else on the bridge has seen you."

At that moment, the turbolift doors opened to reveal the bridge and the girls were slightly awed by what they saw. Gone were the huge, old, ugly computers that used to be there in their memories. Everything was modern and new looking. The design was still similar to the way it was in the show, but everything looked newer.

"Jim, here are the new recruits," Bones said to the back of the captains chair.

The man in the chair stood up and turned to face them, but when he did, he almost fell over from surprise. Even Spock and Scotty were in shock at the new arrivals. Well with Spock it was the Vulcan equivalent of shock, which really just incorporated a raised eyebrow and slightly expanded eyes.

"Captain," Aurelia spoke up. "Am I correct in stating that you were not aware that your newest recruits are female?" This seemed to bring everyone back to their senses…to some extent.

"Well, yes, Lieutenant Commander Hensen. Apparently that was a tiny bit of information that Starfleet Command neglected to tell us."

"Captain," Kat began. "Are you alright? I sense that you are disturbed by something. It seems as though you are almost panicking." All heads on the bridge turned toward her at that point. Then they all floated back to their captain, waiting for him to respond.

"I am not panicking about anything, Lieutenant. I am simply not comfortable with the idea of having someone aboard my ship who can hear the thoughts of every crew member. It's nothing against you personally, just a feeling I have."

"I understand, sir. But might I point out that in the regulations of Starfleet, no betazoid member is allowed to use his/her telepathic abilities on the captain or crew of the vessel they are stationed to unless instructed by the commanding officer or in a dire situation where the ability is needed. I have learned to abstain from entering people's minds without their permission, which is looked down upon by my people. I feel that the mind is too personal a thing to go barging into without the other's permission. I must add, however, that I am still able and allowed to use the ability of sensing emotions as it is why I am here in the first place." The whole time she was speaking, Kirk was staring at her as though he were a child staring at a brand new toy in the store. A toy he wanted so badly, but knew he could never have. She sensed his increasing emotions of desire and longing, then sadness as he realized he could never have this one thing he wanted.

"I apologize for my rudeness Lieutenant Hart," he said before flashing his trademark smile at her. He too was younger and handsomer than his TV show counterpart. _Much better looking than William Shatner_.

"Apology accepted, Captain."

"Well now that everything is cleared up; let's get you all to your stations and to work. Hensen, you're with Spock."

"Aye, Captian."

"Lieutenant Tate. You are now the Assistant Chief Engineer. You're with Scotty."

"Yes, sir."

"Dr. Emily Young, you are now the Assistant CMO, so you'll be with Bones."

"Yes, Captain."

"Hart, you are now the ship's counselor. An office has been set up for you. Would you like me to show you where it is? And perhaps a tour of the ship would be in order." She could tell he really wanted to get her alone by sensing his heightening anxiety, and she had to admit she was curious as to what would happen, so she decided to go along with him.

"That's very nice of you, Captain. Shall we?" He offered her his arm, and they walked towards the turbolift. He stopped before entering the lift and turned back to the bridge. "Oh…uh…Mr. Spock, you have the bridge. Contact me if anything happens."

"Aye, Captain."

"Mr. Sulu, maintain present course."

"Aye, Captain."

"Lieutenant Uhura, contact Starfleet command. Let them know the new officers have safely arrived and we will be continuing our course to Vulcan as per orders."

"Yes, Captain." He turned back to Kat and they entered the lift. As the doors closed, everyone on the bridge looked at each other with broad grins on their faces, with the exception of Spock and Aurelia of course. They merely sported identical raised eyebrows.

"I think the Keptin iz a leetle fascinated wiv ze new counselor." All eyes turned to Chekov.

"What would give you that deduction, Ensign?" Spock was rather curious about the ensign's logic behind his statement.

"Vell, Meester Spock, he never gave any of us a tour of zee ship when we first boarded."

For a moment it seemed like Spock was somewhat stunned by how logical that explanation seemed, but he snapped out of it and gave a single word response, "Fascinating." The whole bridge was laughing to the point of tears at that.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is your office, and you can add any personal touches to the décor if you would like. Your quarters are on Deck 7 in Section 31."

They had already toured most of the ship and had ended up at her office. Kat looked at the clock on her desk and realized they had been wandering around the ship for four hours.

"I'll bet the bridge crew is wondering where we've been for the past four hours, Captain."

She saw the color rise to his cheeks, and fought with herself as to whether or not she should listen to his thoughts. She decided against it, as it would be in violation of Starfleet regulations regarding Betazoids and their abilities, not to mention invading his privacy. Instead, she pretended not to notice his blushing and turned her attention to her desk. It was bare, except for a few papers. She picked one up and realized it was a request from a crew member for an appointment as soon as Kat was settled in.

"Wow, the crew must really need a counselor. I already have several requests for appointments."

"Well, we do tend to lose some people on a few missions, and there are quite a few people who have lost people they cared about. It would only seem right that once we got a counselor on board that they would want to talk to someone."

"I see. Well, Captain, thank you for the tour. I think I will get to work. I need to schedule appointments for these people and start therapy immediately."

"I understand," he said turning to exit the room. He stopped and turned back to her. "Are you available for dinner at 18:00 hours? There are some work related matters I would like to discuss with you."

"Yes, Captain Kirk. That should be fine. I'll see you later then?"

"Yes, I'll be by at 18:00 to meet up with you."

While Kat was wandering around the ship with Captain Kirk, Aurelia and Spock were simultaneously amazing each other with their logic. Aurelia particularly stunned Spock with her logic on human emotions. He had no idea that human emotions could be explained so simplistically.

"I have to admit, Commander, that your logic regarding human emotions is quite illuminating. I am curious to hear more on this subject. Would you join me for dinner at 18:00 hours?"

Aurelia couldn't believe her ears. She had dreamt of this exact moment ever since she saw that first episode of Star Trek. Her brain seemed to process his words at a snail's pace, and it seemed like hours before it returned to its normal pace.

"Commander, are you all right?"

"Yes, Commander Spock, I am well. I was just considering your offer."

"Do you have a reply?"

"Yes, I would be pleased to join you for dinner, Commander. I am sure the conversation will be rather stimulating."

"As do I. I will meet you in the mess hall at 18:00."

"Yes, Commander Spock, I will be there."

Spock turned and entered the turbolift. Once inside, he leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. His mind kept wandering back to Aurelia. Her beauty astounded him, but she was also extremely mysterious. He did not remember hearing of an Aurelia Hensen on Vulcan. He assumed she must be like him, part human or she had been raised by humans. Those were the only logical deductions he could come up with to explain where she could have come from. He decided to investigate this more once they had arrived at Vulcan.

He stepped out of the turbolift and walked down the corridor to his quarters. He was not sure why he was doing it, but he felt the need to freshen up for dinner. 18:00 hours was only 45 minutes away and he had to admit that his actions were being controlled by his body and not his mind.

"Commander Hensen, what are you doing to my mind?" Spock asked this question to himself several times. It was not until he asked himself that question for the 45th time that he realized it was not his mind she was affecting, it was his heart.

"Surak, help me!"

Scotty was having a bad day, and it was slowly getting worse. This Lieutenant Tate Starfleet sent to be his Assistant Chief Engineer was starting to drive him crazy. Every time he turned around, she was there with some kind of suggestion on how to improve the ship's systems. She obviously didn't understand how he felt about this ship, and the idea that she had the nerve to come into his engine room and start making suggestions for improvement was completely ludicrous.

"All I'm saying, Mr. Scott, is that if we boost the input, then the output would be increased, and we could achieve a higher Warp level."

"These engines, Lieutenant, cannae handle that kinda strain. We cannae boost the input, because it would completely disintegrate the dilithium crystals. Now, if ya can figure out how to boost the input without destroying our crystals and prove it to me, then we can discuss improvements."

"I'm already ahead of you on that, Chief. All we have to do is, install another chamber, then add another input/output valve. From there, we should be able to boost the input to create a greater output."

"Aye…that might work." Scotty stared at Reena for a moment, and realized just how pretty she looked with her messy ponytail dangling loosely at the nape of her neck. "How about we discuss your plans in more detail over dinner?"

"Okay, what time?"

"Say 18:00 hours, after our shift ends, at the mess hall?"

"Works for me! I need to go help Ensign Yates replace that coil. I'll see you at 18:00!" She walked off, and Scotty couldn't help but stare after her. She was absolutely brilliant, and yet she was a little nuts, kind of like himself.

"Lord help me, I'm in serious trouble."

Bones was having one of the best days of his life. He left Nurse Chapel in charge of the infirmary while he discussed Dr. Young's duties with her. Well, they started out discussing her duties, but it turned into more of a drinking fest.

"I never knew whiskey could be this…uh…this…uh…what's the word I'm lookin' for?" Emily had her elbow propped up on Bones' desk and had her head in her hand, staring at her coworker.

"I believe, darlin', that the word you are looking for is intoxicating."

"No, thas not it, Doc. I think I was gonna say tasty or something like that, but oh well I can't really remember."

Bones mimicked her position, but his head missed his hand and hit the desk with a loud thunk. Emily stared at him for a moment before realizing that he was sleeping. She stood up, swayed for a minute, then made her way over to his med kit. She fumbled it open, and dug around for the hypospray. Emily gave herself the shot first, then gave one to Bones. He sat up slowly, and stared groggily at her.

"Did I pass out?"

"Yup. I'll bet you're hungry now too. I know I always am after sobering up. So how bout we go get some dinner? It's almost 18:00 hours, which means our shift is almost up."

"Sounds good. You know what?"

"What's that, Doc?"

"I'm really starting to like you."

"You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you're not quite sober yet, Doc." They both started laughing, and when their laughs subsided, they both headed toward the mess hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Kat and Kirk were deep in conversation about Betazoids and their mental abilities when the door to the mess hall slid open and Spock and Aurelia entered. They passed by Kirk and Kat's table carrying on an intense conversation about the logic of human emotions, and didn't even notice their commanding officers having dinner. They sat down at the table behind Kirk and Kat after getting their plomeek soup. Kat smiled as she watched the two interacting. She was happy that Aurelia was finally living her dream, and she noticed that Spock was as agreeable to the situation as Aurelia was.

"Seems like Spock and Commander Hensen are hitting it off pretty well."

Kat turned back to Kirk, and smiled again. "Yes, I daresay it does look that way, Captain.'

"Please, call me Jim. I don't see any need for formalities when we are having dinner."

"Alright, Jim. So what were these work related matters you wanted to discuss?" Jim suddenly looked rather uncomfortable and nervous.

"Well…uh…I didn't actually have anything work related to discuss. I just assumed you would decline my dinner offer if I hadn't of said it was work related."

"Oh, Jim," Kat laughed. "I would have agreed to have dinner with you even if it hadn't of been work related. I think of this as a chance to get to know you better. Of course, I could just listen in to your thoughts, but I prefer to find things out the old fashioned way. I think you'll find I'm a very investigative person, and I always like a good challenge."

"And do I present much of a challenge?" She was about to answer, but the door slid open again and this time it was Reena and Scotty who entered. She watched as they both ordered sandwiches and continued their discussion of the possibility of increasing the output of the warp drive. _Yet another happy couple,_ she thought, smiling to herself.

"You know what? That is rather amusing."

"What is?"

"Only a few hours ago, Scotty was telling me how much he couldn't stand Lieutenant Tate. He said something about her constantly suggesting improvements to his engine room. Now look at them. They are so deep into their conversation; they haven't noticed me and you or Spock and Aurelia."

"Oh, that is probably because Reena has probably finally used her engineering charm speak on him. When she gets an idea into her head about how to make something function better than it already does, she tends to use any means possible to convince everyone else that it can be done. She has a brilliant mind, and she's stubborn."

"Sounds like they should get along very well then. Scotty's as stubborn as a bull, but he is something of a miracle worker. He always manages to get things done in about half the time he predicts."

"That sounds to me like he is telling you a false time so he can make himself seem like a miracle worker."

"Probably so, but still, he is a wonderful engineer. I don't think I could imagine anyone else taking his place in engineering."

"Reena might give him a run for his money." They both laughed, and the door to the mess hall opened again. Just as Kat predicted, Bones and Emily walked in. They were laughing and joking about how Bones and whiskey don't seem to mix very well, and Bones was denying the accusations that Emily was making as to some comments he apparently made while he was inebriated.

"Sounds like Dr. Young got Bones drunk, Katherine."

"Please call me Kat, and I'll bet she was just as drunk as he was."

"Remind me to reprimand them about drinking on the job."

"You know, when I found out I was being assigned to the Enterprise, and working with the famous Captain James T. Kirk, I never expected things to be like this. I always thought you were some kind of uptight captain that somehow always managed to wiggle your way out of a sticky situation. But now I see that you are just like the rest of us."

"And what's that?"

"Human."

"Human? But you're Betazoid."

_Oops!_ Kat couldn't believe her slip up. She had to think of something fast to cover her mistake.

"Isn't that a human term for someone who is compassionate and lively, for someone who makes mistakes and learns from them? Or did I use it wrong?"

"No, no. That's correct. The actual saying is you're only human. I just found it odd that you referred to yourself as human seeing as you obviously are not."

_You just don't know, Jim._ "I almost wish I were human."

"Why is that?"

"I would just like one day, one day where I don't have to constantly feel what every other person is feeling. One day where I don't accidentally hear the thoughts of others when I let my guard down. I kept expressing a wish to be free of my mental abilities, and my people looked down on me because of that. I felt I didn't belong on my own planet, so I went to Earth and joined Starfleet. My mother, of course, disapproved, but she learned to accept my choice. After all, she is a prominent figure on my homeworld."

"Really? Who is she?"

"She is…" Kat was cut off by Bones suddenly stating that he did not call Emily darlin'. She and Jim laughed, but didn't pick back up with their conversation. Instead, they kept watching the goings on between Emily and Bones, and when Emily left, looking triumphant, Jim excused himself and went over to his crestfallen friend.

Spock and Aurelia entered the mess hall and immediately noticed the captain and Kat sitting at a table. They continued on with their discussion, and purposely sat behind them to listen in.

"I think Ensign Chekov was correct in his assumption that the captain is interested in the counselor," Spock said quietly, so as not to be overheard.

"I would have to agree, but it was to be expected. She is a lovely woman, and logical…for a human."

"Really? That is rather interesting."

"Oh yes, she has almost outmatched even my own logic on occasion. It was she who showed me the logic in human emotions.

"Fascinating. I would never have thought that a human could have explained the logic behind emotions so simplistically."

"Well, as they are the experts on their own emotions, it would seem logical that they can explain the reasoning behind them."

"I agree, and I am particularly interested in hearing more about it." But before the conversation could go much further, Bones loudly announced that he did not call Emily darlin' while he was inebriated.

"I will never understand the human compulsion to consume alcohol."

"Neither will I, Mr. Spock."

Reena and Scotty were discussing her new plans for increasing the output of the warp engines as they entered the mess hall. They walked past Kirk and Kat's table then by Spock and Aurelia's. They both ordered sandwiches, and seated themselves at a table near the other two couples. They continued their discussion in hushed tones, as they did not want the captain to find out about their plans until they could test it out. Scotty pulled out a data pad and began entering calculations, but he listened to both conversations closely. He heard Spock talking about the captain and then about the logic behind human emotions.

Then he heard the captain talking about what Scotty had said to him earlier that day about Reena. He distracted Reena so she couldn't hear what the captain was saying about her. He didn't want to offend her, and he made those comments before he realized just how brilliant she was.

"What do ya think of these, Lieutenant?" She took the data pad from him and reviewed his calculations. He saw Dr. McCoy and Dr. Young enter the mess hall out of the corner of his eye, then turned his attention back to Reena. She seemed to be making a few corrections to his calculations.

"I think that should work, what do you think, Chief?" He reviewed her corrections and sat stunned as he looked over her work.

"I'd say these are perfect. I think we have enough data to go to the captain. He should approve these specifications without a second thought."

"I hope so. I want to get started as soon as possible. We can really make this baby go if we make these modifications. I love this ship. I used to read about her at the academy, and I always dreamed of serving on her."

"Well, now ya got your chance, Lieutenant. Now ya can help me make her the best ship in Starfleet. I think it a blessing that ya were assigned here. Ya have the same feelings about this ship as I do."

"Awww, Scotty, that's so sweet." Scotty was about to say something clever that was sure to land him another dinner with his assistant when Bones declared that he did not call Emily darlin' while he had been drunk.

Emily walked into the mess hall arm in arm with Bones and laughing at him as he denied his last comment while he had been drunk. They didn't notice the other couples sitting together, but they did manage to sit close to all of them. As they talked, their comrades were watching them and listening to their none too quite discussion.

"I swear it, Bones, you actually said you were starting to like me."

"I did not! I never said those words in my life."

"So you're saying you hate me?"

"No, not at all. I'm just saying I never said I was starting to like you."

"So you dislike me?"

"No! I like you. I just never said what you're accusing me of."

"You also kept calling me darlin'."

"I never called you darlin'!"

"Yes, you did."

"Okay, now I'm starting to dislike you." He said as he noticed all eyes in the mess hall on them. He hadn't realized he had spoken so loudly, and he didn't realize the captain, Mr. Spock, and Scotty were there, not to mention the other three new officers that arrived with Emily that day.

"See I knew you disliked me. Is it because I'm too smart or because I'm better at medicine?" Emily had an evil smile playing across her lips as she argued with him, and knew she was backing him into a corner. She was going to get him to admit his words one way or the other.

"You are not…wait a minute, you're trying to get me all riled up so you can get me to admit that I said what you think I said. Let's not forget that you were just as drunk as I was."

"Dammit, Bones, how did you figure it out?"

"I studied psychology at the academy along with medicine. Don't ever think you can one up me."

"You know what, Bones? I think I'm starting to like you." Bones' cheeks flushed at her words, and the evil smile returned to Emily's lips.

"Awww, Bones, you're blushing," she said, reaching her hand up to his reddened cheek.

"I am not. It's a little warm in here." He pushed her hand away from his face, but it was from irritation rather than anger.

"No, it's not. It's room temperature like always."

"Well maybe I'm coming down with something. I think I have a fever."

"Don't lie, Doc. You know you were blushing."

"Fine, I said I was starting to like you, I called you darlin', and I'm blushing. Are you happy now?"

"Yup." She got up from their table and walked out the door, a triumphant smile on her face. Jim came over and patted Bones on the back.

"It's okay, Bones. One little admission won't kill your reputation."

"How did she do it, Jim? How did she get me to cave?"

"A little trick only females can master."

"What's that?"

"Charm and persuasion."

Bones laid his head in his hands. "Is there any defense against it?"

"No, Bones, there's not. Men are weak when it comes to the charms of a woman, human or not."

Bones didn't realize what Jim was talking about until he looked around the room and noticed Spock and Aurelia and Reena and Scotty. Then he noticed Kat was sitting at a table alone watching Jim like she was waiting for him to come back. Everyone looked like they were about ready to take the leap from friendship into relationship.

"Dammit, Jim, what is going on here?"

"What do you mean?"

"These four women come aboard and then every one of our male senior staff members is entranced by them. You and Kat for instance. Then there's Spock and Aurelia, Scotty and Reena, and then me with Emily. We've only known each other for less than a day, and I'm already wanting a relationship with Emily."

"Maybe we've just been out in lonely space without a female companion for too long, Bones."

"Yeah, maybe, but I feel like there is more to these women than meets the eye. I'll see you later, Jim."

"Bones, where are you going?"

"I have some investigating to do." He left without another word and headed straight to the med lab, where he had left the blood samples he took from the four women while they were asleep in sick bay.

**A/N: Okay, so not too bad as far as length goes. As for the content, that's up to ya'll to decide if you like it or not. I'm finally getting into a mystery with this one. Read and Review and let me know what ya'll think of it. Toodles!**


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